Someone else handling the ciborium?

[Thomas_Francis]

At my parish the other day Father had the altar boy put the ciborium back in the tabernacle after communion instead of doing it himself, is this allowed? Could someone guide me toward the rubrics for this?

Also he had the altar boy receive from the main chalice as well (all of this to the surprise of the altar boy), can you guide me to the rubrics for this?

 

[Corki]

At my parish the other day Father had the altar boy put the ciborium back in the tabernacle after communion instead of doing it himself, is this allowed? Could someone guide me toward the rubrics for this?

Also he had the altar boy receive from the main chalice as well (all of this to the surprise of the altar boy), can you guide me to the rubrics for this?

I don’t know about the first question. I know only the priest or deacon is supposed to reserve the ciborium but I also know that the physical layour of some churches makes that almost impossible.

As for the second, anyone can receive from the chalice. If Communion is being distributed under both kinds and the number of communicants is not large, it is quite common for all to receive from the one chalice. The additional chalices are a convenience, nothing more.

 

[bmullins]

Our master of ceremonies does it sometimes (the ciborium.) If the ciborium is empty and purified then it can be handled by any lay person who has been authorized to do so (told to do so by the priest.) But if the Host is still in there, it should only be handled by sacred ministers.

 

[Lutgardis]

At my parish the other day Father had the altar boy put the ciborium back in the tabernacle after communion instead of doing it himself, is this allowed? Could someone guide me toward the rubrics for this?

Also he had the altar boy receive from the main chalice as well (all of this to the surprise of the altar boy), can you guide me to the rubrics for this?

I attend a large parish and one of eleven extraordinary ministers is designated to put the ciboria back in the Tabernacle. Also, I assist one of two of our priests with Mass at a care facility once a month. Though we do not offer the cup to the residents there (because they are elderly, some are not in good health and are vulnerable to sickness), one of our priests always offers me the cup, the other does not. I think it is a matter of whatever each priest prefers.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

Our master of ceremonies does it sometimes (the ciborium.) If the ciborium is empty and purified then it can be handled by any lay person who has been authorized to do so (told to do so by the priest.) But if the Host is still in there, it should only be handled by sacred ministers.

Can you provide a source for this comment so that we have it if we need to provide it.

 

[Jegudiel]

Our master of ceremonies does it sometimes (the ciborium.) If the ciborium is empty and purified then it can be handled by any lay person who has been authorized to do so (told to do so by the priest.) But if the Host is still in there, it should only be handled by sacred ministers.

That’s simply not true. Qualified, commissioned laypersons are allowed to distribute holy communion under certain circumstances. That means they are formally allowed to touch not only the sacred vessels but in some cases the Blessed Sacrament. Given this, there is no reason why they could not repose the Blessed Scrament.

 

[DarrenOglesby]

There really aren’t any special rituals on putting the ciborium back in the tabernacle during mass. The first time I was a EMHC, I put the ciborium on the altar, and father put all the other hosts from the paten in, And He handed it to me to put in the ciborium.

Of course your suppose to do it respectively. And it is an honor to do so, but there really aren’t any prayers or blessings that you have to do, to place it in the tabernacle.

 

[Kevin812]

(OF) At my regular parish the EMHC fetches and returns the ciborium to the Tabernacle.

At a neighboring parish the Adult Faith minister does all the “running” since Father is very feeble with age and can not climb the steps.

 

[Cristiano]

(OF) At my regular parish the EMHC fetches and returns the ciborium to the Tabernacle.

At a neighboring parish the Adult Faith minister does all the “running” since Father is very feeble with age and can not climb the steps.

Wow! Does the pastor throw the ciborium all the way to the back of the Church? How did he train the EMHC to fetch?

 

[Kevin812]

Wow! Does the pastor throw the ciborium all the way to the back of the Church? How did he train the EMHC to fetch?

They’er Franciscans… they have super-powers!!!

 

[indiecath]

I dont know what GRIM says but I think it looks better for a altar server placing the Bl. Sacrament back in the tabernacle then the EM

 

[Jegudiel]

I dont know what GRIM says but I think it looks better for a altar server placing the Bl. Sacrament back in the tabernacle then the EM

Why would you say that? One (the EMHC) is commissioned by the local bishop to distribute Holy Communion. The other is not.

 

[paperwight66]

Why would you say that? One (the EMHC) is commissioned by the local bishop to distribute Holy Communion. The other is not.

And some of the altar servers in our parish would have difficulty actually REACHING the Tabernacle.

 

[smndtupidisaftr]

I believe Redemptionis Sacramentum states that this duty must be performed by a priest or deacon during the Mass.

 

[Jegudiel]

I believe Redemptionis Sacramentum states that this duty must be performed by a priest or deacon during the Mass.

That’s not true. No where does the Church restrict this function to clergy during the Mass. What is does say colloquially is “the priest…” which if taken literally would even exclude deacons. People need to think about these sorts of things before voicing an opinion. When all is said and done there is no reason for the Church to create such a rule, in other words there is nothing wrong with layperson reposing the Blessed Sacrament.

In a way this is like communion via intinction. I have seen some people insist that only priests may distribute communion via intinction. The Church does not make this demand. Further if you stop to think about it, there is no practical, theological or liturgical reason not to allow laypersons and deacons to distribute communion via intinction once they have been allowed and commissioned to act as extraordinary ministers of holy communion. This is especially true when I consider the very shaky hands of some elderly priests.

 

[indiecath]

Why would you say that? One (the EMHC) is commissioned by the local bishop to distribute Holy Communion. The other is not.

Its not like that in every diocese.

 

[EasterJoy]

I dont know what GRIM says but I think it looks better for a altar server placing the Bl. Sacrament back in the tabernacle then the EM

I disagree. Typcally, altar servers aren’t even confirmed yet. The fact that altar servers usually wear albs and adult laypeople assisting at the altar typically don’t doesn’t change that. It might “look better”, but IMHO it isn’t at all preferable, if you think about it.

I’m not saying that it is forbidden for altar servers to do this if they are asked but that when the Blessed Sacrament needs to be moved, clergy are preferred over confirmed laypersons and that clergy would do better to ask an adult who is confirmed over someone who is not, even if it is becaues the young person is not old enough to have been confirmed.

Having said that, consider the story of St. Tarcisius, the patron of altar servers:
from: ewtn.com/library/mary/tarcis.htm

*Tarcisius was a twelve-year-old acolyte during one of the fierce Roman persecutions of the third century, probably during that of Valerian. Each day, from a secret meeting place in the catacombs where Christians gathered for Mass, a deacon would be sent to the prisons to carry the Eucharist to those Christians condemned to die. At one point, there was no deacon to send and so St. Tarcisius, an acolyte, was sent carrying the “Holy Mysteries” to those in prison.

On the way, he was stopped by boys his own age who were not Christians but knew him as a playmate and lover of games. He was asked to join their games, but this time he refused and the crowd of boys noticed that he was carrying something. Somehow, he was also recognized as a Christian, and the small gang of boys, anxious to view the Christian “Mysteries,” became a mob and turned upon Tarcisius with fury. He went down under the blows, and it is believed that a fellow Christian drove off the mob and rescued the young acolyte.

The mangled body of Tarcisius was carried back to the catacombs, but the boy died on the way from his injuries…Pope St. Damasus wrote a poem about this “boy-martyr of the Eucharist” and says that, like another St. Stephen, he suffered a violent death at the hands of a mob rather than give up the Sacred Body to “raging dogs.”*

A boy can obviously be worthy of the serious responsibility of carrying the Blessed Sacrament.

 

[Jegudiel]

Its not like that in every diocese.

Sure it it. Some people who are commissioned EMsHC might also serve Mass but it is their commissioning by the local bishop that allows them to handle the Blessed Sacrament.

 

[Thomas_Francis]

That’s not true. No where does the Church restrict this function to clergy during the Mass. What is does say colloquially is “the priest…” which if taken literally would even exclude deacons. People need to think about these sorts of things before voicing an opinion. When all is said and done there is no reason for the Church to create such a rule, in other words there is nothing wrong with layperson reposing the Blessed Sacrament.

Could you provide a source to back up what you’re saying? Because Redemptionis Sacramentum says this:

In the absence of a Deacon, a duly instituted acolyte carries the sacred vessels to the credence table and there purifies, wipes and arranges them in the usual way. RS, 117

It’s talking specifically about purifying vessels after Mass, and it’s the closest thing I’ve seen to answering what I’m talking about. If you can’t provide a source, then please keep your opinions to yourself.

 

[Lutgardis]

We are talking about two separate issues here. There is the purification of the sacred vessels, and the reposing of the Blessed Sacrament. Although an indult had been given so that lay persons could purify the sacred vessels, Pope John Paul was very ill and most likely unable the extend that indult. Insofar as reposing the Blessed Sacrament, there is no such restriction that I have found, and extraordinary ministers are permitted to do this. Regarding purification of vessels:

*"Although the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) states that the ritual purification of sacred vessels used at Mass must be done by a priest or deacon, or a formally instituted acolyte, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) had obtained special permission (or “indult”) to allow non-ordained “extraordinary ministers” to perform that role. The indult was granted by the Congregation for Divine Worship on March 22, 2002, for a period of three years. The official letter granting the indult said, in part,

…for grave pastoral reasons, the faculty may be given by the diocesan bishop to the priest celebrant to use the assistance, when necessary, even of extraordinary ministers in the cleansing of sacred vessels after the distribution of Communion has been completed in the celebration of Mass. This faculty is conceded for a period of three years as a dispensation from the norm of the Institutio Generalis, editio typica tertia of the Roman Missal.

When the indult expired in March 2005, the USCCB requested an extension; however, at that time Pope John Paul II was near death, and the election of Pope Benedict XVI took place less than a month later, and no action was taken on the expired indult. In March, the USCCB repeated the request. Cardinal Arinze’s letter explained that he had consulted the Holy Father in June, and that the request was denied."
*
Our parish follows this exactly. Although our priest always purifies the vessels, we as extraordinary ministers are permitted to clean the vessels. We are also permitted to place the Blessed Sacrament in the Tabernacle.